Various types of collector apparatuses have been utilized for collecting sheet articles thereon and subsequently advancing the collected sheet articles from their collected position. The sheet articles can typically be individual, single panel sheets and/or folded sheet articles each consisting of a plurality of panels. One prior art collector apparatus which has commonly been used in high-speed media processing has been utilized adjacent to the main system raceway to hold accumulated folded or unfolded sheet articles prior to advancing them to the raceway. Such a collector apparatus includes a collector plate surface with a pair of parallel and spaced-apart continuously running transport belts. The transport belts in conjunction with the collector plate surface provide support for sheet articles advanced to and collected on the collector apparatus.
Collected sheet articles are typically advanced along the collector plate surface by continuous contact with the transport belts or other means by which they are advanced therealong until they reach a collection position where further advancement is prevented by contact of the sheet articles with a pair of stop brackets positioned perpendicular to the collector plate surface. Each stop bracket extends through an opening defined through the collector plate surface as the stop brackets are movable between a stop position where they can stop or prevent further advancement of the sheet articles along the collector plate surface and an advance position where the stop brackets are below the collector plate surface and therefore allow advancement or passage of the sheet articles past their collection position.
A pair of upper idler drop rollers are positioned above the collector plate surface and are solenoid-actuated by a single solenoid to move down onto sheet articles collected on the collector plate surface so that the upper idler drop rollers can move downwardly toward the collector plate surface to force the collected sheet articles against the transport belts to facilitate advancement of the sheet articles on the collector plate surface. As the upper idler drop rollers move downwardly toward the collector plate surface, the stop brackets simultaneously move downwardly below the collector plate surface and out of the way of sheet articles to be advanced from their collection position. Single or stacked sheet articles can be collected on the collector plate surface and advanced therefrom, and the sheet articles can be accumulated flat or folded material on the collector plate surface.
A problem which has been found to be associated with such a collector apparatus and which will be apparent to those of skill in the art of high-speed media processing is that the sheet articles collected on the collector plate surface are in continuous contact to some degree with the continuously moving transport belts as the collected sheet articles are maintained in their collection position and prevented from further advancement by the stop brackets. Such contact is quite disadvantageous since the sheet articles often have toner thereon which, on occasion, is caused to smear on the collected sheet articles because of the contact of the sheet articles with the continuously running transport belts. The actual time in which collected sheet articles are prevented from further advancement by the stop brackets can vary with different placements and purposes of the collector apparatus, although in high-speed media processing, even very short amounts of time can be critical. Another problem associated with such a collector apparatus is the limited capacity of the collector apparatus regarding its ability to transport or advance large stacks of collected sheet articles therefrom. Such a collector apparatus has a limited capacity or ability of only being able to advance or transport a stack of up to twenty-one (21) sheet articles therefrom.
In view of the problems associated with prior art collector apparatuses and methods, it can therefore be seen that much room for improvement exists in the art of collector apparatuses and methods for use in high-speed media processing for collecting and advancing sheet articles. Particular room for improvement exists for a collector apparatus and method providing minimal contact of collected sheet articles with moving transport belts used to advance the sheet articles from the collector apparatus as well as a collector apparatus and method with increased ability to advance collected sheet articles from their collected position and from the collector apparatus.